Evaluation of choroidal thickness and choroidal vascularity index during pregnancy

Objective: To assess the choroidal structural characteristics in the first and third trimesters in pregnant women using enhanced depth imaging optical coherence tomography and binarization method. Design: Prospective study. Participants: Twenty-five eyes of 25 pregnant women in the first trimester (group 1) and 25 eyes of 25 pregnant women in the third trimester (group 2) were examined. Healthy age-matched 25 participants were enrolled as a control group (group 3). Methods: The choroidal thickness (CT) was measured at 3 points; subfoveal, 1500 mm nasal to the fovea, and 1500 mm temporal to the fovea. Total choroidal area, luminal area, stromal area, stroma/lumen ratio, and choroidal vascularity index (CVI) were measured by Image-J software. Results: The mean subfoveal and nasal CT were statistically significantly increased in group 1 compared with controls (p = 0.005 and p = 0.004, respectively). The mean temporal CT was statistically significantly increased in group 1 compared with groups 2 and 3 (group 1 vs group 2, p = 0.043; group 1 vs group 3, p = 0.011). The mean total choroidal area, stromal area, and luminal area were significantly increased in groups 1 and 2 compared with control group (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p = 0.002, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences among groups in terms of mean stroma/lumen ratio and CVI (p = 0.148 and p = 0.312, respectively). Conclusions: There was a significant increase in subfoveal, temporal, and nasal CT in the first trimester. Total choroidal, stromal, and luminal areas were significantly increased in the first and third trimesters.